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 M.B.A. II Sem.
BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS

UNIT - V
Report Writing: Research Report Writing. Types of reports
and Characteristics of a research report.
 RESEARCH REPORT
Writing a research report is the final step in a research process. After the collection and analysis of data,
interpretations and inferences are drawn, and after that the finally report is prepared. A research report is a brief
statement of the procedure adopted and the findings or conclusions drawn in a research study. Though it is the last
stage of a research process, yet it is one of the most important components of research problem, No one goes
through the whole research process, but reads only the research report in order to learn the findings of the research
study.
A research report tells an interested reader about the problem investigated, the methods and procedures used
and the conclusions drawn from the results. It conveys the findings of a research study in sufficient detail in a
systematic and logically arranged manner to an interested reader.
THE WRITING PROCESS

Organize the material

Gather relevant data and material

Develop the broad format

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Sketch out the detailed outline

Write the first draft

Rewriting
Polish language and improve readability

Correct grammar and spellings

Evaluate appropriateness of presentation

Evaluate the contents

Final word processing

Proof reading and review

Submission circulation or publishing

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 Types of Reports

WRITTEN ORAL
The categories written reports Oral presentaion of the
may be based upon : results of a research study

(1) Length (2) Technicality (3) Purpose

Short Long Technical Popular General Specific

e.g. e.g. e.g. e.g. e.g. e.g.
Memorandum Management Report of Newspaper Annual Project
reports report an audience reporting Report Progress
of researchers Report
or technical persons

Main Contents of the Research Report

The layout of the report must be appropriate, A comprehensive report will iclude —
(A) The Preliminary Pages
(B) The Main Text

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(C) The End Matter.
(A) The Preliminary Pages :
These should include —
i) The Title Page : The title page should carry the title of the research study, the organization for
which the research is being done and the name of the researcher. The date of research being
completed should be also given.
ii) Acknowledgements : The researcher will acknowledge any person or persons who have
contributed in completing the research.
iii) Any Certification Required : If any certificate/s regarding the research are necessary they
may be attached at this point.
(iv) Preface : The preface is a brief one or two page general introduction to the topic of the research
and why the researcher took up the research.
(v) Table of Contents / Index : The table of contents or Index is a vital part of the report and must
include the page numbers for each of the contents.
(vi) List of tables and illustrations and List of Graphs and/or Charts : These may be given on
the following pages as a ready reference.
(B) Main Text :
i) Introduction : This should introduce the research to the reader.
ii) Nature and Scope of the study : Why the study was undertaken and what geographical area
and time frame it occupies.
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 iii) Research Methodology : The methodology involved in the study, the research design, data
collection techniques, analysis techniques and methods of interpretation should be mentioned.
iv) Hypotheses : If the study involves the testing of hypotheses. These should be clearly stated.
v) Supporting Theoretical Background : Any secondary research, or theories that may be relevant
for our studies should be discussed.
vi) Results of the Primary study : A detailed presentaion of the findings of the study with supporting
data in form of tables and charts should be given.
vii) Analysis of Data : The analysis of the data which has been statistically treated should be made
and noted.
viii) Interpretation of Results : The researcher should then note down his/her interpretation of the
results derived from the analysis of data.
ix) Recommendations, Suggestions, Conclusions : This forms, what is perhaps, the most important
part of the research report. Any decisions taken on the basis of the research will be based upon
the recommendations, suggestion and conclusions.
x) Summary : the summary helps to present the results briefly and presetns all the infromation
about the research in a apsule form.
(C) End Matter :
(i) Appendices : All technical data such as questionnaries, sameple infromation, mathematical

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derivations etc. should form a part of the appendix. They should be numbered Appendix A, B
and so on.
(ii) Bibliography : The sources consulted must be given. The correct way to give entries in the
bibliography is
1. Name of author, last name first.
2. Title, underlined or in italics.
3. Place, publisher and date of publication.
4. Number of volume.
Notes and References : Any additional information may be given here.
(iii) Glossery : This includes a list of special terms used in the research along with their definitions.
(iv) Subject Index : Sometimes a subject Index given alphabetically works as a guide to the reader
for the contents of the report.

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 STEPS IN REPORT WRITING
1) Purpose of study 2) Preparation of a blue print
3) Listing the parts of a report 4) Preparation of rough draft
5) Preparation of second draft 6) Writing the final draft
Report writing, however simple it may appear, is not really an easy task. It requires coniderable thought, skill,
painstaking efforts, patience, accurate penetration and, a good control on language and writing style. One cannot
just haphazardly write in reports all the procedures and findings. One has to follow logical and systematic steps in a
scientific manner to report the finding of a research problem. Main steps in writing a research report are :
1) Purpose of study : A report should start with the proposal of the problem that the research study deals with.
it should include the background of the problem, need for the research and the hypothesis framed for the
study.
Therefore, first step is to state the purpose of the study along with its historical background, sponsoring
agency, if any.
2) Preparation of a blue print : Before writing a report one should organize one's thoughts asto what should be
given in a report and in which order. An outline of the logical and systematic organization of the whole material
should be drawn with a paper and a pencil. It gives a holistic view of the work of report writing.
3) Listing the parts of a report : There are many components of a research report, which will be discussed in
next section. After drawing an outline or a blue print of a research report, now is the time to enlist various
components of the report like, title of the study, authors, field or subject, time duration, forward, preface,
acknowledgement, tables of contents, figures, charts tables and diagrammes, headings in main text, footnotes,

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appendix, index and bibliography. Some of these are common in most of the research reports, where as some
of these items are not included in some reports. The inclusion or exclusion of any of these components
depends on the type and need a research plan.
4) Preparation of rough draft: Once a blue print a report is ready and the components to be given are enlisted,
now is the time to elaborate these headings. A report writer should take up this part one by one and write their
contents in detail. Each part should be elaborative enough to describe the mattet sufficiently well with clarity
and it should not be so lengthy as to appear boring to the reader. In the world of computers advanced word
processors like MS-WORD, MS-Power point etc. are available to key in any text, figures, chart and diagrams
easily. One should keep this rough draft lengthier than the final report so as to cover all the subject matter of
a research process one has completed.
5) Preparation of second draft: This is difficult step and needs skillful expertise in report writing. Once a rough
draft is prepared, one needs to add, delete modify the contents of each part of the report so as to make it a
balanced document. In the second draft one should carefully check the spellings and grammar in the text
language. Settings of paragraphs, indents and margins should be carefully checked. Irrelevant sentences, or
very lengthy statements should be replaced by brief but meaningful sentences. All the components of the
report should be well connected with each other and there should be flow in the whole document.
6) Writing the final draft: It is the most important step in report writing. It is advisable to consult an expert who
has practice and erperience in writing research reports. The final draft of report should be free from the
element of subjectivity and must bear objectivity and clarity. A researcher must try to avoid i se of abstract
ideas and technical terminology as a non- technical reader may not follow such language. Apart from containing
originality and adding new knowledge to the subject area, a research report should be interested and thought
provoking to the reader.
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 LAYOUT OF REPORT
Layout of a research report means the physical structure of the report. All the contents of a report comprise
the layout of the report. These contents should be systematically arranged in a proper manner. Thishelps in conveying
the true meaning of the research done to the re~der in a scientific way. There is a general procedure to arrange all the
components of a report in an easily readable format. The subject matter may or may not contain one or the other
items of this format, but the general practice is described here. Various components of a research report are listed
below :
1) Title page 2) Preliminary pages
3) Contents pages 4) Main text
5) Reference section
1) Title page : The title page is the first thing that the reader observes, therefore it is kept in mind that, "First
impression is last impression." It should give a clear indication of the subject matter of the report. A title page
consists of the following information.
(a) Title of the report (b) Submitted to whom
(c) For the purpose of (d) Author/authors name/names
(e) In collaboration with/supervision of (f ) Institute/organization logo
(g) Institute/organization name (h) Time of submission- month/year
If the research was sponsored by some agency, it should be mentioned on title page in parenthesis. If the

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circulation is limited to an organization or a country it should be mention on right or left top corner of the
report.
2) Preliminary pages : As soon as one opens a research report, one goes through a few pages, which are
preliminary and formal in nature. These comprise of :
(a) Dedication, (b) Foreword, (c) Proem/Preface, (d) Acknowledgement
One full page is given to dedication even if it is of one line only. It is a personal page of the author and he
expresses his feelings to some near and dear on this page in form of dedication.
Foreword is a brief introduction in the form of a recommendation and is written by some one else than the
author. It is usually written by some senior expert of that field of knowledge. Nothing else is written on this
page.
Preface also sometimes called proem is written by the author. It gives a bird's eve view to the whole report. It
is infact ‘research report at a glance’, and gives brief introduction of the subject matter of the report. Sometimes
preface is presented chapter-wise or section-wise for the better understanding of a reader.
On one full page thanks to those, who have been helpful, supportive and encouraging in the current research
process, are expressed here. It may include professional as well as personal supporters to the author. The
financial assistance, if any, received from government or private agency is also acknowledged here.
3. Contents pages : Every book, thesis, or report contains some page, which list all the sections, subsections
or chapters, parts of the whole document. These pages give an idea of `where is what'. These can be listed on
separate pages as follows:
(a) Table of contents, (b) List of tables, (c) List of figure, (d) List of notation, (e) List of abbreviations
In the table of contents the titles of chapters/sections and subsections are given along with their page number.

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 It helps a reader to locate immediately the subject matter of his interest in the report.
A report may contain data collected in a tabular or diagrammatic form. Each of these tables and figures has a
title describing its contents. List of such tables, figures, charts, and illustrations is given in the beginning of the
report. This list has the title of the table/figure along with its page number.
If a report contains some technical or mathematical notation, it is listed on a page and given in this content
pages section. Whenever a reader wants to learn the meaning of a particular notation he can refer to this page.
A report may óontain some abbreviations of some words if they are repetitively used in the text, like i.e. (that
is), viz. (namely), ed. (edition), pp. (page to page), et. al. (and others) etc. These abbreviations are enlisted in
an alphabetical order on a page given as list of abbreviations.
4. Main text : The main text is the soul of a research report. It gives a complete subject matter of the report in
detail. The main text should be systematically divided into subsections with appropriate headings and sub-
headings. The main body of the text may have following subsections :
(a) Introduction (b) Literature survey
(c) Methodology (d) Data analysis
(e) Inferences (f) Conclusions and suggestions
In introduction, an orientation to the research study is given along with a clear statement of the problem
understudy. The purpose and objectives of the study should be highlighted here. The assumptions made for
the investigation must be mentioned in this section along with the technical terms and concepts used in the
study. The limitations of the study, if any may also be mentioned and justified in this section. If the research

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involves formation of a hypothesis, it should be stated here. A hypothesis about the problem is formed in the
beginning and is tested later on the basis of data collected.
After introducing the problem, the related works done by others are listed as literature survey. It contains the
brief summary of the existing knowledge. Here a researcher reviews previously published research studies,
books, journals, newspapers etc. and develops a background for the current investigation.
In the third part of the main text the methodology used in the research should be elaborated. Every research
is a special one on its own and may include some or the other methods. This section should clearly state the
methods used like case study, questionnaire, interviews etc. It should also include various measurement and
scaling techniques used in these methods. Statistical tools and formulae used may also be mentioned in this
section.
After the collection of data, its tabulation classification and analysis is given. This section includes tables,
diagrammes, and charts, figures based on data collected. The complex aspects of these tables and graphs
should be elaborated with the help of examples. The data should be lucidly and logically analyzed and the
results obtained should be enlisted and discussed in some detail. The descriptions of data tables should not be
mere translation of numbers into words. The discussion should be critical, creative and elaborative in nature.
Once the analysis of data is achieved, it is now time to state the inferences drawn from the study of data. The
results drawn from the study and their generalizations may be highlighted here. Applications, implications and
addition to new knowledge of the study should be mentioned clearly in this section.
The body of main text should be completed with the broader conclusions drawn from the study. Some
suggesticns for further research may also be given for new and creative ideas.
5. Reference Section : After the main body of a research report is written, now is the time to write this
important part of the report known as reference section. It can be divided into following parts :
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 (a) Appendices, (b) Subject index, (c) Author index, (d) Bibliography
In a report there are some facts, which need a special elaboration or a lengthier description, but it is not
sometimes possible to include it in the main text. These elaborations are then given a place in appendix in
reference section. If needed original collected data, questionnaire, schedule or others forms can be given in
appendices. An appendix can also include long tables and case studies. These appendices are generally
numbered as A,B,C..........
For the searching and reading ease of a reader, subject index and author index are separately given in reference
section. Subject index refers to headings, special concepts or facts with the citation of their page numbers
where they appear. Similarly author index is given citing the author's name whose work has been referred in
the text. Both these indexes are given in alphabetical order.
A bibliography is always given at the end of a research report generally, in alphabetical order by the last name
of the first author. It contains all about the sources of literature survey. All the references, published, unpublished
and websites which are either pertinent to the subject matter of the report or have actually been referred in the
report are listed in the bibliography. These references may include books, journals, newspapers, websites,
periodicals and government reports. There are many popular styles of writidg references in a bibliography.
One may follow the following general sequence:
• Name of the author (last name first)
• Year of publication
• Title (in inverted comma or italicized)

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• Volume number
• Page numbers

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 PRECAUTIONS IN WRITING RESEARCH
REPORTS
The writing of a research report is a scientific activity as well as fantastic piece of art. It is an arduous and
challenging task to communicate the introduction, analysis and resu1t findings of a research problem. One should
take proper precautions to make a research report a complete and lucid document about the investigation. The
following most important precautions should be kept in mind while preparing a report:
1. Title : The title of a report should accurately reflect the problem undertaken. It should not be lengthy and
confusing to the reader.
2. Statement of problem : The statement of the problem should be as concise and precise as possible.
Assumptions and limitations of investigation should also be clearly mentioned.
3. Length of report : Length of a research report is a subjective matter and may vary from person to person.
The thumb rule is that a report should be lengthy enough to cover all important aspects of the research study
and short enough to keep the reader interested in reading it.
4. Typing Errors : In the times of computer softwares and word / processors that we are living in. a report
should completely be free from spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. Quotations, footnotes. and
abbreviations should be carefully used and typed at proper places.
5. Page numbering : One may use separate page numbering for preliminary pages, main body of text and
reference sections. If so chosen these page numbers should be in different styles like italicized, roman or
simple arabic numerals. The table of contents should bear a clear statement about this fact.

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6. Font size : The font size of words at various places may vary in a report. Headings and subheadings should
be written in bigger font size than the normal text. Bold, italic and underline may also be used to emphasize
some portion of the text. But it should be kept in mind that usage of too many font sizes appears odd to the
eyes of a reader.
7. Lay out of report : As discussed in previous section the layout of a report should be systematic and scientific.
A haphazard structure of a report leads to confusions of readers. Proper headings and subheadings should be
chosen to make a report an elegant piece of document.
8. Citations : If the re,'ort contains some work or quotation taken as it is from the publication of another author,
it should be cited clearly with proper references. It saves the author of the report from the copyright problems.
9. Objectivity : A report should be free from the subjective biases of an author. He should try to be objective
and accurate while stating the results and inferences of the study. Abstract terms like, ‘ it appears’ , it may be’,
should be avoided in reporting of conclusions.
10. Avoid technical terms : As far as possible a report should be reader friendly. A non-technical person having
interest in the field of current research study should be able to follow the main aspects of the investigation.
Therefore, technical terms should only be used when it is must.
11. Careful writing of refrrence section : The components like subject and author index, and bibliography are
most time consuming and painstaking as they are written at the end of the whole project. The writer in wrting
them, shows considerable haste and impatience. This becomes very dangerous as some parts or references
can be left out in this section, whereas they have been referred to in main text. A careful examination and listing
of all the items is a must to make reference section complete.

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